Contents

About the course

The Marches has a bespoke training centre for teacher trainees which is apart from the main school building.

It features a study room with access to 40 laptops, a common room with kitchen and bathroom facilities, a classroom with 15 PCs on computer desks, printing facility, central work areas, whiteboards with access to ActiveInspire, three other conference areas and car parking.

All students are given access to the school data base.

In addition, trainees can study in the main school alongside the secondary teaching staff, have access to the school restaurant which features the most up to date cashless system and healthy menu options.

The school offers administrative staff who work solely with the trainees providing stationery, printing, induction training and support.

The course consists of two placements spread over the year with 120 days school based. There are 4 full weeks of study here at The Marches, one at the beginning of the course, two half way through and one at the end. There are three full weeks of study at the University of Chester spread over the course. There are occasional Fridays when the students travel to Chester for lectures and the alternate Fridays are based at The Marches for professional development delivery and academic learning. The course is designed to maximise school based time as this is how we think that students learn best.

There are three modules with assignments that are spread over the year. These carry 60 masters credits at level 7. We offer a huge amount of support with the academic study as we recognise that this is in addition to learning to teach. The modules are very well written to link with the teaching part of the course.

Development of the student's teaching is bespoke as we recognise that some individuals have more experience than others. It is anticipated that a student will build up to 35% of a usual timetable by the end of the autumn term, 60% by the end of placement 1 and 80% by the end of the course. Students are assessed weekly and given feedback to develop.

At the end of the course, we offer an enrichment period when students can complete additional training to improve their CVs and prepare them for a teaching role. There is also time to resubmit assignments if necessary.

Interview process

Interested applicants are invited to drop in to our information session every Tuesday from 5-7pm.

Applications will be sifted by the lead school and the University. Applications will be expected to show necessary qualifications and any additional qualifications obtained.

The personal statement should be positive and to a high standard. Applicants should explain why they want to enter teaching, what they have to offer, should show their ability to reflect and think critically about their experience and education in general.

The interview process is rigorous and will typically consist of:

• Twenty minute panel interview

• Teaching task

• Short presentation on an area of the syllabus

• Academic written task

• Subject knowledge tests in English and Maths

At interview the applicant will be expected to reflect on their experience and discuss what attributes they can offer to the teaching profession.

Training to be a teacher requires excellent time management skills. It is important to keep on top of lesson planning alongside the commitment to assignments.

The interview panel will consist of a subject specialist from the lead school and a member of the mentoring team. The applicant will be expected to have some knowledge of the national curriculum for their subject .

The interview process will include a short lesson delivered to a group of Year 7 students.The applicants will not be expected to deliver an outstanding lesson but will be observed to see how they interact with the students to assess their potential to become outstanding teachers.

How school placements work

Placement schools are chosen in partnership with the individual students. We have a large partnership which spreads across Shropshire, Powys and Telford and includes independent school as as well state schools.

The course is rigorous and we therefore try to accommodate the wishes of students as far as travel is concerned, we endeavour to place students within 30 mins of their home so that home life is manageable for the duration of the course.

Some of our schools offer A level opportunities and teaching at this level is normally included within the second placement. We try as hard as possible to ensure that A level experience is included in at least one of the placements.

In total we partner with 14 secondary schools which include

Belvidere

Idsall School

Lakelands

Sir John Talbot

The Corbet

St Martins

Adcote School

Oswestry School

Moreton School

Meole School

Hadley Learning Community

Llanfyllin High School

Dinas Bran

We have a visiting tutor who will visit students in school early on in each placement to ensure that the mentoring structure is in place and all the paperwork has been provided. The tutor will then visit the trainee regularly over the following weeks to jointly observe the teaching element and also to complete the end of placement assessment.

The mentoring team provide maximum support to each of the students whilst on placement, sometimes issues arise which can be dealt with immediately because of our ability to communicate with each other.

Fees

The course fees for 2019/2020 are as follows:

Student type

Fees to pay

UK students

£9,250

EU students

£9,250

There are no additional fees for this course other than the stated £9250. Financial assistance is available through Student Finance England and Wales.

(https://www.gov.uk/student-finance)

(https://www.studentfinancewales.co.uk/)

Financial support

You’ll get a bursary of £26,000 if you have a degree of 2:2 or above in any subject.

You don’t have to apply for a bursary - you’ll automatically start receiving it once you begin your course. Find out how you’ll be paid.

Financial support from the training provider

Bursaries are available through the DfE.

In some cases we may consider a salaried option depending on the subject involved and the individual student circumstances. Potential applicants should discuss this with us prior to applying if they would like to be considered for a salaried route.

Requirements

Qualifications

A first degree (2:2 classification or above) from a UK higher education institution or equivalent qualification.

GCSE English Language and Mathematics or equivalent qualifications. It is possible to use equivalency tests in place of GCSEs

You are required to undertake Professional Skills Tests in Literacy and Numeracy prior to entry to this programme. Further information can be found here.

(http://sta.education.gov.uk/)

Personal qualities

We are looking for those with a genuine passion for teaching and their chosen subject.

At interview the applicant will be expected to reflect on their experience in school and discuss what attributes they can offer to the teaching profession.

Training to be a teacher requires excellent time management skills. It is important to keep on top of lesson planning alongside the commitment to assignments.

It will be hard work and we expect those that we offer places to be committed to completing the course. We however guarantee to give you all the support that you need.

Other requirements

In addition to academic qualifications incl the DfE skills tests in literacy and numeracy applicants will also need:

An enhanced DBS check and possibly letters of good recommendation if they have lived and worked abroad.

A medical form which may involve further investigation

Completion of Subject Knowledge Enhancement courses if applicable

A minimum of two weeks experience that is current and relevant in a secondary school prior to applying although we can arrange this.

About the training provider

The Marches School is a lead school for School Direct, it is the largest secondary school in Shropshire.

The school has over twenty years of experience in teacher training, offering innovative, successful programmes in all subjects and primary education. A world class education system requires world class teachers and this unique programme sets out to address this.

This programme is new way of training teachers which puts schools at the heart of the process. The Marches School and University of Chester, in partnership have designed and developed this school led teacher training programme, which is committed to training teachers to ensure that they have the potential to be outstanding at the end of the programme.

Trainees receive a flexible and bespoke timetable which scaffolds their learning and offers substantial mentoring to ensure that lesson planning and delivery is of the highest standard. As a result of one to one and group support mentors are able to monitor ITTs closely and ensure high quality teaching and learning.

We offer an on site Wellbeing Mentor to ensure that the ITTs are managing the demands of the course whilst maintaining a healthy body and mind.

Trainees are offered additional bespoke training sessions according to the needs of individuals and the whole cohort. These may cover areas such as: Behaviour Management, SEN needs, Transactional Analysis, stress management etc.

In addition, the training team have dedicated admin staff whose roles are to support the trainees with placements, stationery, IT requirements, travel and accommodation.

About the accredited body

The Marches works with the University of Chester as the accrediting body for the School Direct programme although most of the training and the school based learning is delivered locally in Shropshire.

The University of Chester has been making history since 1839, it is one of the oldest higher education systems in the country. It is a member of the Russell Group which represents 24 leading UK universities which are committed to maintaining the very best research, an outstanding teaching and learning experience and unrivalled links with business and the public sector.

Training with disabilities and other needs

As an alliance we are able to offer support to disabled applicants and students. This includes students with specific learning differences, long standing health conditions, mental health conditions, Autism/Asperger’s Syndrome and sensory impairments.

Specialist staff at both the university and the school site will support students in identifying the most appropriate solutions to potential barriers to learning.

As a partnership we are keen to ensure all students benefit fully from the course and achieve their learning potential.

Many of our schools can cater for students with limited mobility in fact in 2017-2018 we accommodated a student with muscular dystrophy who successfully studied in two different schools that we were able to source and accessed the site on a mobility scooter.

We see it as a challenge to support applicants who we think have the potential to become outstanding teachers through the course and we will do so using as many strategies as we need.

Support and advice

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